Code enforcement must be intensified. The best way to protect our tax base and keep our tax rates low is to have a strong code enforcement program in both the City and the County. A proactive property maintenance program is essential for private properties as well as public rights of way. There are sidewalks in the West Ashley area that are impassable because obstructions as large as palm trees have grown up in the cracks between the slabs. Buildings like the Kerr Drug building at Wappoo Rd. have not been cleaned or maintained in more than a decade. Large properties like Church Creek Shopping Center and Charleston Hardware continue to go vacant and threaten their adjoining neighborhoods with all the problems that come with vacant commercial buildings. We need more muscle and we don’t yet have it.
The two jurisdictions that control land use in the West Ashley area, the City of Charleston and Charleston County, have never been able to finalize and adopt common community standards for the appropriate level of intensity of commercial uses along the West Ashley commercial corridors. The City and the County must adopt mutually agreed upon and jointly approved zoning overlay districts for all commercial corridors to prevent the further degradation of our adjoining neighborhoods. This is how we will prevent another massive storage facility like the one on St. Andrews Blvd. and how we will stop the proliferation of automobile dealerships on Savannah Highway.
One of the first things that we must do for our community is to document and make available to our residents the wonderful history of this place that we call home. For the most part, residents of West Ashley are completely ignorant of its history. The fundamental problem with that fact is that people do not tend to take pride in things that mean nothing to them. Knowing our history will help us to do things like developing appropriate design guidelines for new construction that reflect who we are as a people and where we have come from as a community. Late Victorian and early 20th century wood frame farm buildings and railroad structures comprised much of our older built environment West of the Ashley. We should draw from those historic forms as we build up our community. It’s our identity and we need to reclaim it. Without our history being easily accessible to our people, the land between the Ashley and the Stono will never be fully appreciated and we will have no community identity.
There is WAY too much trash in our city. We need an aggressive, year-round ‘do not litter’ campaign. More trash cans (decorated by students k-12), visible advertising, fines for littering, community and school involvement in periodic clean-sweeps.
The City of Charleston Peninsula Recreation Department youth sports program has exploded in the last few years–the U6 micro soccer league has gone from 6 teams to 16 teams in 6 years. The City needs a comprehensive recreation facility for all these little athletes!
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In all the recent back-and-forth of ideas to alleviate some of the extreme overcrowding of DT streets, I have heard nothing about having the College of Charleston require their students to utilize satellite parking areas and take shuttles into the campus. As a former longtime resident of Harleston Village, I know all too well the flood of student vehicles which has for years clogged the streets of that and other adjacent neighborhoods. These students are by and large non-resident and pay nothing for the privilege of parking on and congesting the neighborhood streets.
I’d look to best practices used here in our country as well as abroad. I’d consult with knowledgable parties and implement technologies that will safeguard our communities and businesses from flood damage. Here’s something that’s been tried in Tokyo: http://fw.to/6dki4aT
Historic Charleston Foundation has been working with the city of Charleston and other community partners on several key plans that should shape the priorities for a new mayoral administration. These plans include the Peninsula Mobility Report prepared in November of 2014 by transportation expert Gabe Klein, the proposed updates to the Tourism Management Plan that resulted from a large community effort, and the upcoming report concerning the design review process and the Board of Architectural Review that will be prepared by Andres Duany in the summer of 2015. Transportation, tourism management, and quality architectural design are keystones to the future livability and sustainability of this city. These three important projects will require the focus of the entire community in order to implement them properly. Gabe Klein’s report, for example, states simply: “Charleston must decrease driving and parking while increasing use of public transit, cycling and walking.” This will require a very significant outlay of public investment in transit infrastructure and the creation of complete streets for all modes of mobility. As is typical with any plan, these are only as valuable as our commitment to bringing them to fruition. Their implementation will require a combination of non-profit advocacy, private sector engagement, and the political will of our leaders. Ordinances must be adopted and realistic time frames must be established so that the appropriate level of funding can be raised and allocated for specific projects. Obviously, this will require consensus and hard work to lay the groundwork for success. Plans that merely sit on the shelf reflect a lack of ambition and vision in a community, and Charleston cannot afford that. We have a strong tradition of proactive engagement and community foresight, so we all need to step up to the plate to turn the progressive vision represented in these plans into a reality.
I would encourage the Marion Square Farmers Market to strengthen their bylaws so only local products can be sold there. As it is, a vendor can buy products from someone else, and sell them as their own, yet everyone assumes all of the product is actually “local.” This is a huge disservice to consumers who want to spend their money on homegrown products, and local producers who can’t compete or differentiate themselves from cheaper products from out of state. The City’s Office of Cultural Affairs runs the Market, so the Mayor should work with them to change the bylaws. Let’s give our local producers the leg up they deserve, and shoppers the high quality, local products they expect.
Attend the Planning Commission hearing on February 18, 75 Calhoun Street, and voice objections, when the Beach Company will present its plan to redevelop the Sgt. Jasper site with more than 400 apartments, parking for 700 cars and a 35,000-square-foot supermarket which will attract traffic 24/7. Yikes!!! Much too much for this neighborhood.
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Create a park on the vacant land next to the James Island Connector on Harbor View Road. It’s a perfect area for a paddle park to launch kayaks and stand up paddleboards. A Farmer’s Market can be held there on the weekends.
Don’t allow this area to be rezoned commercial. The city and the Town of James Island can pool their resources to create a green space that is attractive and useful to all James Island residents.
This area is the first part of James Island one sees coming across the connector. Instead of a big ugly office building, it would be nice to show people enjoying what makes James Island special!
Chs continues with the Laundry List —
East Side: I would invest money in a community center on Columbus St, which focuses on job training and recreational activities. Keeping kids off the street and providing education.
Transportation: Take the eastern-most sidewalk on Meeting St, and subdivide it into a bike/walking lane (similar to the bridge).
If I were Mayor: I would ask City Planning Department staff to Revise the City’s “Century V City Plan” (comprehensive plan) to lower densities in zoning classifications on James and Johns Islands. I would also ask that heights be lowered for new construction on the sea islands. I would put a moratorium on the building of multi-family apartment complexes on the sea islands. I would eliminate the Gathering Place zoning from the sea islands, which has no maximum density and has been controversial and rejected by islanders. I would value and respect the sea islands and promote ways to preserve and protect them.
Susan’s set of ideas for the Sea Islands continues:
I would obtain the funding to purchase more land on the sea islands for green space. I would complete the promised Dog Walking Park and Walking Trails on the tract purchased by the City next door to the James Island Rec Center called the “Harbor Woods Tract” (12 acres), which currently sits ignored. I would value and respect the sea islands and promote ways to preserve and protect them.
Transportation
Education
Economic
Arts
Neighborhoods, Parks & Housing
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Yes. Code enforcement. Amen